A few years back, my car got stolen. In the trunk were all sorts of goal setting books and audio programs that I used in my coaching business. I wondered what would happen if the criminal(s) who stole my car actually read those books.

I imagined some kind of super criminal, with a good self-esteem and a positive can-do attitude. Contained within those books were the secrets of goal setting and motivational techniques that could potentially make anyone successful. They would set and achieve their criminal goals, and steadily achieve more and more out of life.

Perhaps in some underworld, they would rise to become leaders. They might build up entire criminal organizations, based on all the lessons learned from the books in the trunk of my car.

I was really worried, that I could have created some kind of Frankenstein's monster of criminal, and unleashed it upon the world. Perhaps years from now they would stand up in front of their organization and proclaim that they owed their success all to me (yes I even put my business card in some of the books). Perhaps they would be inspired to write their own books, such as "Seven habits of highly successful Criminals", "The One Minute Mobster", or perhaps "Steal And Grow Rich". It was scary stuff.

Within a few days the car was recovered, and all the books were still in the trunk, and apparently unread by the criminals. The crooks were never caught, so I did not get to find out if my nightmare had come true. It was kind of like the end of those horror movies where there is a slim possibility that the creature did not in fact die and may return again, perhaps in a sequel. So far the crime rate in my area has not gone up significantly, so I can breathe easy for now. But who knows what could happen next.

Duncan